Based on an actual event, Bakersfield Mist tells the story of Maude Gutman (Helen Ellis), a brassy, unemployed, 50-something bartender, living in a trailer park somewhere in California.
Maude is convinced that an ‘ugly’ painting she bought as a joke from a junk shop for a few dollars is a Jackson Pollock and worth millions.
Enter Lionel Percy (Nicholas Opolski), art expert and a former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who has the power to either verify the painting or declare it a fake.
After sizing Maude up as trailer-trash, the snobbish Lionel, a self-confessed ‘fake-buster’, is determined to burst Maude’s bubble.
Lionel is not the first expert to view Maude’s unlikely Pollock.
He is one of many as the determined Maude refuses to take no for an answer.
Tightly directed by Brad Lowry, this two-hander is a terrific showcase of its two actors.
The plot may be implausible in places; nevertheless, Ellis and Opolski carry the audience with them throughout, enabling the suspension of belief.
Kitsch and clutter abound in a great set designed by Lowry and Keith Francis.
Ellis is wonderful as Maude, bringing laughs and pathos to the role.
As the story unfolds, we get a glimpse of what is driving Maude to pursue authentication.
Maude is invested in the painting for more than wealth, fame and a ticket out of the trailer park.
Instead, Maude likens Pollock’s frenzied, abstract expressionist style to her son, who died in a car accident: “There was a storm inside that boy. Like that painting. Like that.”
The audience is with her all the way.
Presented by Brighton Theatre Company.
Performance details: Until September 3
Venue: Brighton Theatre, Cnr. Wilson and Carpenter Sts., Brighton.
Bookings: www.brightontheatre.com.au

• Review by Kathryn Keeble